Commenting on MPs voting the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill through to Committee Stage, Thea Stein, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust, said:
“As this Bill progresses through Parliament, MPs will need to carefully consider how such a change in the law would interact with the NHS and social care. There are large unanswered questions around funding, staffing and equity if this Bill becomes law.
“In particular, it is still unclear whether or not assisted dying would be fully publicly funded. If it is, it will sit alongside services like social care and hospice care which are not. Both of these services are financially on the brink and MPs will need to understand how current threadbare provision will interact with this new service, what implications this may have for people paying for social care, and how to fund assisted dying from a health budget that is already overstretched.
“If assisted dying is not publicly funded then it will be difficult for the Bill to achieve its aim of improving choice for all patients. These are crucial questions to address in the next stage.
“MPs will also need to scrutinise and debate the staffing and regulatory questions this throws up. Will NHS trusts be able or expected to provide this service? Will medical professionals carry out this work privately or as part of their NHS contract? Who will regulate this service? And what changes will be needed to training and education to ensure staff have the skills and knowledge to deliver it?
“Our work reveals that care at the end of people's lives is not always equal and often does not give people the choices they want. Meanwhile, specialised palliative care misses out many who could benefit from it. This Bill must focus minds on how to ensure better provision of both palliative and end-of-life care so that people opting for assisted dying are doing so in the context of a fairer and more equitable service than we have today”.
The Nuffield Trust is neutral regarding legalisation of assisted dying.
We hold a neutral position on whether or not assisted dying should be legalised, for whom, and in what circumstances. We are committed to identifying evidence to support decision-makers in understanding the implications of legislation for health and care services, in line with our remit to improve the quality of UK health and care through evidence-based policy analysis.
Notes to editors
- The Nuffield Trust is an independent health think tank. We aim to improve the quality of health care in the UK by providing evidence-based research and policy analysis and informing and generating debate.
- For all queries or to arrange an interview, contact our press office: press.office@nuffieldtrust.org.uk; or 020 7462 0500.